Chapter 793: Lost Grip of Director Chen

"No way... Who is that person? So arrogant??"

Jian Changsheng, several blocks away, had just furtively blown out his oil lamp when he saw a pillar of fire shoot up into the sky in the distance and was instantly dumbfounded.

The same question arose in everyone else's mind as well. The soaring fire dragon seemed like an arrogant provocation directed at everyone:

—I'm right here. If you dare, come and get me!

The roaring flames illuminated Chen Ling's face, making his deep eyes shine like stars. He scanned his surroundings, as if searching for something.

Chen Ling had never been a high-profile person. His arrogant revelation of his location at this moment had a deeper reason beyond merely provoking the spectators... He wanted to see if his hypothesis held true.

Less than a minute after the pillar of fire rose, a fluorescent figure swiftly approached from the night sky.

"Yes, yes... I've found him. I'll explain it to him."

"Let me confirm... At this initial location, he should be called Lin Yan. Hmm, you should keep an eye out..."

"Don't worry, I know. I'll be sure to maintain a safe distance from the participants."

The person, like the referee at the station, wore a fluorescent windbreaker and had an ID badge on their chest with the number '06'. At that moment, they were holding a walkie-talkie, seemingly reporting something.

After leaping over several rooftops, he arrived next to the residential building where Chen Ling was, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Participant Lin Yan, the competition hasn't started yet. Please do not use divine power, and do not disturb others!"

Upon seeing the referee appear, Chen Ling's eyes lit up slightly.

"There's more than one referee in the area. The one at the station earlier was a sixth-tier, and this one is a fifth-tier... He's a bit older. They should all be from the Tianshu Realm, perhaps even personnel transferred from the Tongtian Tower..." Chen Ling rapidly analyzed in his mind. "Right, sixth-tier and above are considered high-level combatants, important resources in any realm. It's naturally impossible to send out dozens of them at once to fully supervise a group of young people fighting... Plus, with that Medical God Dao leader overseeing, it's actually sufficient."

While calculating, he casually extinguished the kerosene lamp beside him and showed a nervous smile:

"Sorry, Referee... I don't know the specific rules, I apologize for the disturbance."

"Isn't it all written in the manual?" Referee No. 06 seemed somewhat displeased.

"I can't read."

"..." The referee was incredulous. "Then how did you find your way here?"

"I have a friend named Jian Wubing; he brought me here. Although he's not very bright, he can read."

Hearing the name Jian Wubing, the referee seemed to find it familiar. He scanned his list and immediately saw 'Military Dog Path' written there, and his lips twitched slightly... Judging by the path's name, this person indeed wasn't very bright.

"...Alright, just be careful later."

With that, Referee No. 06 turned to leave, but Chen Ling suddenly spoke, "Wait a moment!"

The referee looked back, confused.

"Um, because I can't read, I didn't understand anything in the manual... If it's convenient, could you explain it to me?" As he spoke, Chen Ling miserably pulled out the manual from his clothes with his single arm, then looked expectantly at the referee.

The referee: ...

The referee glanced down at his watch. There were less than three minutes left until the trial began, but after a moment of hesitation, he still sighed.

"Alright, I'll explain a few key points. Listen carefully."

The referee took the manual and began to briefly explain it to Chen Ling. Chen Ling sat down where he was, listening intently, like an eager student.

Time ticked by, second by second.

When the clock's second hand reached precisely twelve o'clock, loud bangs echoed from all directions!

Bang, bang, bang, bang—!!

Brilliant fireworks rapidly shot up from around the old district, then exploded in the sky like colorful flower clusters blooming in the starry night. They were clearly visible from every corner of the old district.

The contest for the Tongtian Star Position officially began.

The referee glanced at the sky full of fireworks, knowing it was time for him to leave. He instructed, "Those are the general rules. In short, within 48 hours, you can use any means necessary to eliminate as many competitors as possible... Anyway, no one will truly die in this old district, so you don't need to have any psychological burden."

"Any means are allowed?" Chen Ling confirmed again.

"Any means are allowed."

"That's good..."

The referee was about to turn and leave. The next moment, a flash of cold light suddenly shot out from Chen Ling's sleeve, swiftly slicing towards the referee's neck!

The cold light was incredibly fast, and the distance was extremely close, giving the referee no space to dodge at all. To ensure a single-strike kill, Chen Ling even simultaneously deployed his 'Court of Judgment,' directly locking the referee in place!

The cold light sliced through the air, and just as it was about to touch the referee's neck, the latter suddenly seemed to detach from his surroundings, teleporting with a creak three meters away!

The boning knife in Chen Ling's hand ultimately missed its mark.

The fluorescent windbreaker fluttered lightly on the rooftop. Seeing this, the referee laughed heartily, as if he had expected it:

"I knew it!

You participants come from various realms, a mixed bag. When the Tongtian Tower sent us to be referees this time, they repeatedly warned us that some people might target us referees...

You dared to release flames in front of so many people, which shows you're confident enough in your own strength. How could you possibly be an illiterate fool?"

Chen Ling himself hadn't expected his carefully prepared attack to so effortlessly miss its target.

Holding the boning knife in one hand, he showed no trace of embarrassment, only a helpless smile. "Senior is indeed remarkably wise. Such a small trick could never fool you."

The referee calmly brushed his sleeves with both hands and said:

"However, I can also tell you that we referees carry nothing but a walkie-talkie and a list... You'd do better to spend that effort figuring out how to deal with the other divine path geniuses."

With that, he turned and left, heading into the distance.

Once he was far away, he quietly pulled out his walkie-talkie and wiped the sweat from his brow,

"This is No. 06... You might want to pay more attention to this Lin Yan. This kid is quite cunning... He almost got me."

"Didn't I tell you to stay further away from the participants? How could he still almost get you?" The voice from the other end of the walkie-talkie asked.

"I was careless this time; I won't make this mistake again..." the referee said through gritted teeth. "By the way, are the other referees alright?"

"Out of nearly two hundred participants, only this Lin Yan attacked a referee. Everyone else is fine."

"That's good..."

After the fluorescent windbreaker disappeared into the distance,

Chen Ling watched his retreating figure, clicked his tongue, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I actually missed... Trying to ambush a fifth-tier referee truly isn't that simple."

"However, after this, he should relax his guard..."

"If I could replace a referee, the scope for manipulation in this trial would greatly expand..."